“I’m never going to say no to a food drive, because every little bit counts,” said Mireille Massac, who runs a food pantry in Bedford-Stuyvesant. “But for those communities who can give more, I’d always prefer funds. What can I really do with 300 different kinds of cans?”

Many of the folks running food banks and pantries in Denver would echo these thoughts. Cash is more flexible–it can be used for food, distribution, and also help defray operating costs and purchase necessities for the operation, like gas, property maintenance or vehicle repair, and so forth.

This year, after you’ve donated food to the office food drive, consider an additional donation, in cash, to one of the dozens of local food banks, like one of these (click to learn more):